Everything left unsaid by Jessica Davidson
Pan Macmillan Australia, 2012. ISBN 9780330424950.
If you are looking for a sad story, then this book is for you. Best
friends Juliet and Tai have no sooner become romantically involved
than
he is diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour and given a year, at
most, to live. This novel charts Tai's gradual decline in
heartbreaking
detail.
Tai and Juliet take turns to tell this story so we do get slightly
different versions of events. Whilst Tai's focus is mainly on coming
to
terms with his new medical regime, Juliet tries to balance her grief
with battling through her final year of school and impending exams.
Tai and Juliet are certainly drawn as realistic characters, neither
of
whom is perfect. The inclusion of their families in this story also
adds a realistic dimension to the story: neither Tai nor Juliet can
act
solely on their own instincts, they must take into account the needs
and desires of those around them. And the detailing of Tai's
hospital
visits and meetings with counsellors, certainly strengthens the aura
of
credibility.
However, there is a slightly saccharine feel to the tale as well.
Perhaps this is because there is a curious lack of dramatic tension
in
the novel. The blurb hints at the plot twist of Tai's illness, so it
comes as no surprise. Furthermore, the suffering endured by Tai and
Juliet is predictable and even their occasional moments of conflict
are
all too easily resolved. Perhaps also it is the unchanging mood of
the
story: there is little humour or tonal change to the way the story
plays out, it is unrelentingly sad.
Whilst watching Tai gradually submit to the indignities of his
illness,
only the hardest of hearts would not feel sorry for his predicament
but
the reader may well feel like they have learned little from reading
this story. Nevertheless, there is no doubt an audience of teen
readers
who will be quite happy to immerse themselves in the sadness of Tai
and
Juliet's situation, albeit with a tissue box at the ready.
Deborah Marshall